A
(2019·郑州毕业班第二次质测)Thomas Cheatham had planned to study Latin during his time at Hebron High School in Texas. But when he learned that the school district was going to offer a Mandarin (普通话) class, he quickly changed his mind.
“I thought Mandarin would be more beneficial than Latin，” said Cheatham, who is now in his second year of studying the language.
He speaks Mandarin to order food at Chinese restaurants and can read social media posts from his Chinesespeaking friends. While it's a difficult language to master, the high school junior, who plans to study computer engineering, thinks it will be important for his career. “Chinese is a good language to know, especially with China becoming a growing power，” he said.
Many experts agree that proficiency (熟练) in a language spoken by a billion people worldwide will give American students an edge in the global economy.
“People are looking at China as our next economic competitor, and interest in Mandarin is growing fast，” said Marty Abbott, director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. “We're seeing it in all parts of the country.”
Abbott predicts that as many as 100,000 students are now studying Mandarin in public and private schools throughout the US. She said the US government has designated (指定) Mandarin as an “important needs” language and provides professional development programs for teachers. “Our government wants to increase our language ability for economic competitiveness，” Abbott added.
At the same time, the Chinese government is spreading knowledge of the Chinese language and culture through Confucius Institutes set up in many US states. For example, the Confucius Institute at the University of Texas in Dallas has been the home of a Confucius Institute for 10 years. It sponsors Confucius Classrooms at 21 local public and private schools, where tens of thousands of students are learning Mandarin.
[语篇解读] 本文是一篇说明文，主要讲了普通话在美国学生中日益流行。
【难句分析】 While it's a difficult language to master，the high school junior, who plans to study computer engineering，thinks it will be important for his career.
分析：本句是一个主从复合句。While引导让步状语从句；who 引导非限制性定语从句，在从句中作主语，修饰先行词the high school junior；句中“it will be important for his career”是省略了that的宾语从句，作及物动词think的宾语。
译文：尽管对于这个计划学习计算机工程的高中三年级学生来讲，这是一门很难掌握的语言，但是他认为这对他的职业来讲将会是重要的。
1．Why did Thomas Cheatham decide to study Mandarin instead of Latin?
A．Mandarin was easier to learn than Latin.
B．Mandarin could be helpful to his future career.
C．Mandarin might help him learn more about China.
D．Mandarin could enable him to study computer engineering.
解析：细节理解题。根据第三段第二句“While it's a difficult language to master, the high school junior, who plans to study computer engineering, thinks it will be important for his career.”可知，Thomas Cheatham认为学习普通话对他的未来职业有帮助，所以才决定学习普通话。
答案：B
2．The underlined word “edge” in paragraph 4 probably means “________”．
A．slight advantage
B．outside limit
C．sharp tone of voice
D．exciting quality
解析：词义猜测题。根据语境尤其是第三段最后一句中的“Chinese is a good language to know, especially with China becoming a growing power”和第四段第一句中的“a language spoken by a billion people”可知，随着中国的发展，学习普通话大有裨益；由此可推知，学习普通话让美国学生在全球经济中有一定的优势，这与文章第五段的内容呼应。故画线词意为“优势”，与A项含义相近。
答案：A
3．Which of the following statements might Marty Abbott agree with?
A．Mandarin should be taught in classrooms throughout the US.
B．Those skilled at Chinese will be the most competitive in the future.
C．The US government's policy has helped popularize Mandarin in the US.
D．Americans learn Mandarin because they worry about their economic security.
解析：推理判断题。根据语境尤其是对第六段的整体理解可推知，在Marty Abbott看来，美国政府的政策有助于普通话在美国的推广。
答案：C
4．What does the author mainly talk about in this passage?
A．The rising popularity of Mandarin among American students.
B．The great benefits of learning Mandarin for American students.
C．The influence of China's growing power on American education.
D．The effect of Confucius Institutes in promoting Mandarin in the US.
解析：主旨大意题。根据对全文的整体理解可推知，本文主要讲述的是普通话在美国学生之间日益流行的现象，这与最后一段的进一步论述呼应。故选A。
答案：A
